This is a Christian blog dealing with various issues. “Discernment is not simply a matter of telling the difference between what is right and wrong; rather it is the difference between right and almost right.” -Charles Spurgeon. Scripture is my authority for all things regarding to life and godliness. 2 Cor. 10: 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Sola Sisters have reported that Mark Driscoll talks to demons. He is spiraling fast into doctrines of demons. Literally.

That new near-monotone he uses doesn't make him sound more reasonable at all (and can you take a pastor who wears Mickey Mouse t-shirts seriously? His dress points to his casual view of God, Scripture, souls, sex, and demons). So whether he's shouting at his audience or quietly teaching them how to talk to demons, he again proves not only is he not Reformed (or at least Scripture Alone), he also proves his downgrade is increasing its speed.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Osteen embraces Mormon Mitt Romney as a Christian simply because he says he believes in "Jesus".

The problem is that Osteen is an unbeliever and has no idea what a Christian believes or Who the Jesus of Scripture is, and therefore has no idea that the Jesus of Mormonism is a different Jesus altogether.

But here's the other problem. What Osteen did in defending Romney as a brother in Christ even while not knowing anything (apparently) about Joseph Smith, etc., is no different than what John Piper does in defending equally heretical Rick Warren and calling him a brother in the Lord.

Its hypocritical and its sin to slam Osteen when Piper does the exact same thing, and there is NO excuse for Piper's repeated, unashamed, and defiant defense of heretic Rick Warren. Why will people name Osteen as a false teacher, but not Warren and not Piper for his treachery?

Thursday, October 06, 2011

"The notion (and that's all it is) that Christians have to establish long-term relationships with people in order to "earn the right" to share the gospel with them; the notion that we should let people see the gospel in us and thus making the verbal proclamation of the gospel unnecessary; the notion that "relating to people" (as it is most often taught and practiced by American Christians) is somehow a prerequisite for sharing the gospel has no Scriptural support. None. And any effort to draw such inferences from the text of Scripture is an eisegetical exercise that might make Christians feel better about their evangelistic disobedience, and might make pastors and their ministries more popular, but, in the end, will only prove to be a disservice to the Scriptures, Christians, and the countless number of lost souls who aren't reached by believers who practice such philosophies of ministry.

And to the second object Allen’s friend made—the use of the Law in evangelism: his objection doesn’t hold up to even a cursory reading of Scripture, let alone any close, logical scrutiny."

The whole assumption in Friendship Evangelism (FE) is that preaching the Gospel is offensive and will turn people off (of course it does! That's what the Bible says.), and that we need to "earn the right" to be heard. Such people are afraid of offending the unbeliever either before or after creating a friendship with them, so they never will proclaim the Gospel to their new friends...they don't want to turn them off to "Jesus". Of course, they don't worry about the Holy God of Israel being offended by said "friends". Besides, as Tony said, we don't need anyone's permission to share the Gospel, least of all one of HIS enemies! Rather, we already have God's commandment to proclaim it.

There is no such thing as silent witnessing (and how else will a Christian be persecuted?):

Luk 8:15As for that in the good soil, they are those who,HEARING THE WORD, hold it fast in

an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

Act 4:4But many of those who hadHEARD THE WORD believed, and the number of the men

came to about five thousand.

Act 10:44While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who HEARD THE

WORD.

Act 13:7He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to HEAR THE WORD OF GOD.

WORD OF GOD BE SPOKEN first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves

unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47For so the Lord has

commanded us, saying, "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation

to the ends of the earth.'" 44The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to HEAR THE

WORD OF THE LORD.48And when the GentilesHEARD this, they began rejoicing and

glorifying the THE WORD OF THE LORD, and as many as were appointed to eternal life

believed. 49And THE WORD OF THELORD was spreading throughout the whole region.

Act 19:10This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia HEARD THE WORD

OF THE LORD, both Jews and Greeks.

Act 24:24After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him SPEAK ABOUT FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST.

Rom 10:13For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."14How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?15And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"

Rom 10:16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?"

Rom 10:17So faith comes from HEARING, HEARING THROUGH THE WORD OF

CHRIST.

Eph 1:13In him you also, when you HEARD THE WORD OF TRUTH,THE GOSPEL of your salvation, AND BELIEVED IN HIM, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

Col 1:3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

Col 1:4since weHEARD OF YOUR FAITH in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all

the saints,:5because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have HEARD BEFORE

IN THE WORD OF TRUTH,THE GOSPEL,6which has come to you, as indeed in the

whole world it is bearing fruit and growing--as it also does among you, since the day you

HEARD IT and understood the grace of God in truth,

The Gospel is preached, not silently lived out, because you cannot live out the truth of Jesus

being eternally God the Son, born of a Virgin, was sinless, took on the full wrath of God the

Father, bore the forsaking of the Son by the Father, or the Resurrection. These things cannot be

"lived out", but rather must be proclaimed.

And be sure you are proclaiming the biblical Gospel. Your testimony, your stories are not

the Gospel. Only the Gospel "is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe." (Rom.

1:16)

The

Gospel isn't about the "worth" of the unbeliever, or to fill a vacuum in his life, or to get him into

heaven, or to give him a purpose or have his best life now. NO. The Gospel is about the holy,

holy, holy God and His wrath against sinners, and how all people are born sinners, hostile toward

God, ill-deserving of Heaven which means actively earning Hell,breaking every one of God's

laws, having nothing to commend them to God. The Gospel calls such a person to repent (turn

away from all his sin and to turn to Christ Jesus, the Resurrected Lord, alone for salvation),

realizing that God alone can save- crying out for God's mercy to save him.

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

"First,the announcement of God's good news is in writing,the writings of the prophets.This means that we are not to look elsewhere for it,as if God had chosen to reveal this news by mystical visions,through inward intimations,or in some other nonbiblical or nonobjective way.We have documents to study and words to ponder and understand. Second,the books of the bible are special ,holy writings,which means they are not human compositions ,but are the very works of God." -James Montgomery Boice

This is true and shows why the supposed "dreams" and "visions" of "Jesus" many Muslims are having and thus are "saved" by are not of God at all.

Scripture is the sole authority and preaching is the sole way to proclaim the Gospel, IF we're going to do is HIS way. Otherwise, we've just injected ourselves into the mix and have lowered it from what it is: holy, pristine, all-authoritative, timeless, powerful, living, and infallible. Dressing it with man-centere, culturally relevant ways are not HIS ways nor HIS means.

No other means at all.

Rom 1:15 So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Rom 10:13 for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

Rom 10:14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?

Rom 10:15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!"

1Co 15:11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

2Ti 4:2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

Worldliness is what any particular culture does to make sin look normal and righteousness look strange.- Author Unknown

Worldliness: it involves love for earthly things, esteem for earthly values, and preoccupation with earthly cares. Scripture plainly labels it sin – and sin of the worst stripe. It is a spiritual form of adultery that sets one against God Himself (James 4:4).- John MacArthur

Worldliness is any preoccupation with or interest in the temporal system of life that places anything perishable before that which is eternal. - John MacArthur

Exactly right. The world's philosophies and worldviews are totally opposed to God and Scripture. Instead of eating of the deadly tree of "knowledge", we should reject it and go to HIS Word alone that is sufficient. Yet how many New Calvinists or Reformergents or Purpose Driven people ignore this and actually SEEK to BE the world in order to "win" the world? Appealing to the flesh they do not offer Life--they offer death but just slap Jesus' name onto it and pat themselves on the back at how the world just LOVES them. There is NO middle ground here.

Jas 4:4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Rom 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Eph 4:17Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.18They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.19They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.20But that is not the way you learned Christ!-- 21assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,22to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,23and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,24and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

About Me

My name is Denise (aka "Surphing"). I grew up in the Charismatic movement, but God delivered me out of it, and I thank Him for that. My heart is to show other believers the error of various movements(e.g. the Word Of Faith, Seeker Friendly,Emergent Church movements, Reformed theology,etc.)I want to help them find truth through Scripture. I love the Word of God and hold it dear to my heart. It is the standard by which I filter everything, including (hopefully and most importantly) my own thoughts and actions.
There is One God, and within the One God there are three distinct, co-equal and co-eternal persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit(1Peter 1:2; Matt. 28:19; Matt. 3:16-17; John 14:16-17). Literal 6 day Creation is Truth.Scripture is infallible, inerrant, & God-breathed (2Tim. 3:16, Heb.4:12, Ps. 19 & 119). Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for the glory of God alone apart from any works (baptism, prayers, walking an aisle, etc.) so that no one can boast (Eph. 2:8-10). God is totally Sovereign in ALL things (Ps 33). I do mean ALL. Man is responsible for his sin. God is responsible for saving the elect through HIS means.